Gym Membership: What to Consider

Are you one of those people who has never tried the gym and is planning to enroll? You should at the very least know what to look for in finding a good gym. There can be a Pleasanton gym that could be fit for your needs, and there might be those that you feel you will not be comfortable with.

There are a number of reasons that made you decide to enroll in a gym membership. One could be that you have been dying to really join a fitness program for your own personal reason, or that you have been working out religiously at home that you now want to have a change of scenery and that by getting the feeling that you are in an actual gym environment can give you the right amount of motivation.

photo/ Steve Buissinne

Regardless of what your reason may be, the following are some of the key factors that you might give consideration when you are looking for a gym:

The cost of the membership

Of course, the very first thing that you will want to know is how much the gym membership will cost you. There are a lot of people who cannot really afford expensive memberships and personal training fees, but, you don’t have to shy away from it. There are ways where you can lower the cost if you really want to enroll in that specific gym.

You may check on discount seasons by considering the timing on when you will buy your membership. There are gyms which offer discounted rates in peak seasons.

So, if you can wait to get your membership until these times, then you can have the chance of paying lower rates. It is also practical that you avoid extra charges. So when you have already found the gym where you seem to be comfortable with, you should not accede on pressures that the salespeople are offering you to get you to buy unnecessary things. You should avoid availing long term agreements because this is generally not the best way of enrolling in a gym because you might eventually find yourself unhappy eventually and it might become difficult for you to surrender your membership.

Check the gym’s member profile

There are a lot of gyms these days which cater to a specific group of people. There are also those gyms whose target market are women, seniors, competitive athletes, or men. For women, there might be those who will feel a little bit intimidated in lifting weights against the stronger male population, this can end up for them to bypass their workout and this is something that should be avoided. There might also be men who are going to feel uncomfortable enrolling in a mixed gender gym because they might find themselves getting objectified by the male population, so instead of just spending their time to work out, they might end up worrying about what the other people might think.

There are also gyms which offer a specialized program to cater to the needs of a specific group. The specialized programs designed so that they will be able to give an appealing offer to the specific population that they are targeting.

You should also consider the existing number of gym members, and as to how busy the gym gets during peak times. This is because you might not want to spend your workout time by just standing and waiting for equipment to be available.

Check out the gym’s equipment

Part of the things that you do when you are looking for a gym is to check what is inside and take a good walk around the gym. There is already a lot of equipment out there today and you should make sure that the gym also has the ones that you use most often.

So, if you are someone who usually uses dumbbells when working out, then you should check if they have multiple sets that you can easily continue with your workout. Furthermore, if you are looking for weight machines, there are higher end machines wherein you can have the option to change to put an emphasis on your lift on a certain phase of the exercise. This can help you to vary your workout routine. You should also check that the free weight machines are well-maintained and that it does not look that it could fall apart anytime soon.

One other good factor to check out is the stretching area. Apparently, there are a number of gyms which do not have on or only allow a small space for stretching. We all know that stretching is an important part of your workout and should not be compromised. And if you are one of those are into heavy cardio exercise, then you should also check that their machines are in good condition and that it offers the latest features. The treadmills in the gym should have inclines and there are also those which have heart rate readers so that you can track how you are working.

Check out the extra features

If you are getting back in shape after having a baby, then it will require you with excellent time management. There are gyms which offer other services such as daycare, massage or physical therapy which usually comes at an added cost. So if you have a child and you might find it hard to look for a babysitter, then gyms with daycare facility can be a strong factor when you choose a gym.

Check out the it accessibility

You might also want to take into account where the gym is located, like if the gym is near your house, and the farther the gym might be, then you might lose your motivation of going. One other thing you might want to consider is if it is near where you work, so that it may be convenient for you to stop at the gym either before you go to work or after work before you go home.

Choosing a gym should not be taken lightly especially if you really want to commit to a fitness program. It should be able to keep you motivated so that you can be able to succeed with your personal goals.

Author: Lucy Hale

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Guest Author - Outside contributors to the Dispatch are always welcome to offer their unique voices, contradictory opinions or presentation of information not included on the site.

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